Shooting pictures in auditorium set up

bobsingh

Hello everyone,
I am new to this website and read amazing reviews about the people's advice.
I use a Canon T3i with kit lens (18-55mm and 75-300mm ), and I will be taking some pictures on a weekend night in an auditorium set up (performance, stage, people and dance).
I am very new to manual settings on the camera.
Can you suggest/advise what thing I should take care of, and what setting I should be using to get good results?
This event is very important for me and it's my first volunteer-professional opportunity.

Thank you :)

PBked

Hi @BOBSINGH,
When you say auditorium, I am assuming you mean a theater with stage lighting etc.
It is difficult to give precise help when not knowing the location, however, here are a few tips.
1) Forget flash, it will be of no use to you.
2) For movement (dances) you are going to need a high shutter speed. You can only achieve this in a theatre by using a high ISO. Using a high ISO will result in increased noise and it is up to you how much noise you can live with.
3) Stage lighting can produce color casts in your photos so you might want to experiment with the presets for white balance or create your own.
4) Do not try to track subjects moving across the stage as this will lead to motion blur. Instead, aim your camera using the center focus point at a space in front of the person and snap when they move into that space.
5) Instead of relying on IS you might consider purchasing a cheap monopod. This you can grip between your knees and reduce the chance of camera shake.
Hope these suggestions have given you some food for thought.
Regards,
PBked